Youth given 22 years' jail, 24 strokes of cane for sexually assaulting 19 girls
SINGAPORE — He intimidated nine females, most of whom were minors, into doing sexual acts and even got one of them pregnant.
Muhammad Anddy Faizul Mohd Eskah, then between 15 and 18 years old and an ITE College East student, went on the run after he found out that the pregnant victim gave birth to his daughter. He was caught by the police on 9 May 2016.
However, it did not stop the youth from reoffending when he was placed on police bail.
Under the pretext of recruiting girls for his social escort agency, Anddy sexually assaulted 10 more victims.
Now, 20, Anddy was sentenced to 22 years’ jail and 24 strokes of the cane on Friday (12 June). He pleaded guilty in the High Court to five counts of sexual assault, one count of statutory rape, two counts of aggravated statutory rape and one count of rape.
Another 59 counts, most of which are of a sexual nature, and criminal intimidation of his victims, were taken into account for his sentencing.
The offences against the first nine victims comprised consensual and non-consensual sexual acts.
Anddy would usually initiate contact with victims through Facebook or WhatsApp and obtain compromising photos or videos of them before forcing them to submit to him sexually. On numerous occasions, the victims agreed to his sexual demands as they feared he would circulate their nude photographs and videos online. On other occasions, Anddy used force against his victims.
In early July 2015, Anddy befriended a victim, then 13 to 14, on Facebook. The girl started having feelings for him and agreed to meet him after school. They began chatting about sex.
On 21 July 2015, Anddy asked the victim to meet him for sex and the girl agreed. They engaged in sex at Anddy’s flat the next day. On 15 September 2015, they met and proceeded to a staircase landing. Even though the girl was reluctant to perform sexual acts, Anddy forced himself on the girl, ignoring her protests.
Manipulated girl with mild intellectual disability
Another victim, then 18, was a student diagnosed with mild intellectual disability. She became acquainted with Anddy through Facebook on 6 May 2016 when Anddy sent her a message asking if she was interested in working as a salesgirl, in exchange for $250. The girl agreed.
The two met on 7 May 2016 at a staircase landing, where Anddy told the girl to adopt different poses and used his mobile phone to take pictures of her. He then directed the girl to sit on the staircase with her legs spread but the girl refused.
In response, Anddy restrained her before sexually assaulting her. After the act, when the girl said she would lodge a police report, Anddy brazenly told her to go ahead and demanded that she delete his messages from her phone.
When the girl refused, he grabbed her neck in a chokehold and forced her to unlock her phone. He also threatened to circulate doctored compromising photos of the girl. After unlocking her mobile phone, the girl fled. She later went home and told her mother about the sexual assault. A police report was lodged that evening.
Anddy similarly befriended a 13-year-old in early 2016 through Facebook. The girl only began responding to his messages after she quarrelled with her boyfriend and felt vulnerable.
“Sensing an opportunity to manipulate (the victim) into sexually submitting to him, (Anddy) asked her to send him pictures of herself and threatened to ruin her reputation by spreading rumours about the nature of her quarrel with her boyfriend if she refused,” said the prosecution.
The girl sent a picture of her face. Anddy pressed for a photo of her genitals, and the girl complied.
Anddy subsequently manipulated the girl into agreeing to sex with him, after he threatened to circulate the compromising photos. He met with her and raped her twice. He also stole $100 from her wallet while she was cleaning up.
For another 16-year-old victim, Anddy claimed he was obtaining photos of breasts for a project and managed to obtain them through WhatsApp. He threatened her for more compromising photos and eventually manipulated her into sexually submitting to him.
Before Anddy could be dealt with for his initial offences, he was released on bail on 10 August 2016. He targetted 10 more victims whom he approached under the pretext of being a law student who was recruiting women for highly-paid social escorts for wealthy clients.
Upon meeting his victims by posing as a paying customer, Anddy got them to submit to his sexual demands by deceit or force. He also blindfolded them and recorded videos or took photographs of their sexual activity. He then threatened them with the compromising material.
He was rearrested on 22 August 2017.
Anddy seen at IMH thrice
Anddy was assessed thrice at the Institute of Mental Health in 2017 where he was diagnosed with Antisocial Personality Disorder and was pegged at a high risk of sexual reoffending.
Justice Chan Seng Oon described the case as “one of the most shocking and horrific criminal cases involving sexual offenders that have come before the courts”. Noting Anddy’s youth, the judge said he considered the defence’s mitigation that Anddy was a maladjusted offender without necessary guidance and mentorship, as his parents divorced in 2000. His biological father and stepfather are also serving time for long-term drug offences.
Addressing Anddy, Justice Chan said, “You are approaching 21 years old. You have many years ahead of you. You have been diagnosed to have a high risk of reoffending. You have a serious problem in trying to control sexual urges and your attitude towards feminine gender. In prison you can seek help to address these issues, somehow change, and resolve your lack of control and personality disorder.”
The judge advised Anddy to deal with his sexual misdemeanour or he would be penalised even more severely.
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